THRIFTING SAVED MY LIFE

Paola Antonelli’s introduction to her co-curated exhibition, ITEMS: Is Fashion Modern?, with Michelle Millar Fisher, provides a truly fascinating insight into the complexities of fashion as a form of design. The exhibition, first shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2017, took 111 items made up of clothing, garments and accessories, that were believed to have marked the past 100 years of ‘fashion’. These objects, initially conceived as a list of “garments that changed the world”, included the Levi’s 501 jeans, the turtleneck, the pearl necklace, Adidas superstars and the backpack, to name but a few. Originally proposed as an exploration of potential articles that would tell the history of modern design, it developed into a theoretical lens onto how both canonical and noncanonical garments are produced, and the result of their interaction with society and the systems that govern their design, so as to merit a greater curiosity, awareness and respect for fashion. In order to analyse these elements more acutely, the 111 items were examined according to three tiers of how the items are seen to have evolved in terms of their archetype, stereotype and prototype. In the words of Antonelli:

“Our list of 111 items is, thus, like any abbreviated compilation, particular, filled with this team’s soul and personalities, and also inductive, crafted to distill a common experience and inspire a reaction. The goal of the exhibition is to stimulate curiosity and focus attention so that everyone who passes through it might look at fashion in a different way, with more awareness, agency, and respect.”

I stumbled across this exhibition online whilst browsing a course on Fashion as Design (MoMA) and was intrigued by what I found. This may well be one of the great fashion exhibitions (I wouldn’t know as I’ve been living under a rock for several years), but from what I gather, not only is it extremely difficult to elicit a reaction from an exhibition on contemporary fashion from a general audience, but also, the apparent disregard for most types of exhibition in the domain of fashion renders it practically impossible to garner interest, given its regard as a “lesser” discipline compared to other arts. Antonelli makes a fine point regarding:

“[fashion’s] immediate digestibility by the popular market and its excessive commercialism, which contribute to the taint of “vulgarity” often cited to support an artificial separation between design and the fine arts (which are famously devoid of commercial value)”

What I love about this concept is the placement of fashion within design, rather than vice versa, and the disregard for categorisation and compartmentalisation within the list, whether the items be fast fashion or haute couture, branded or unbranded, clothing or accessory. The exhibition takes the raw cultural elements from over the past 100 years and deciphers them. Even the list of items in itself generates interest, with some obvious choices (polo shirt) and some surprises (sunscreen). The cultural significance of selecting a surgical mask, hijab and hoodie among the list, whilst remaining faithful to familiar enemies of high fashion (501s, Air Force 1 and Wonderbra) reveal the striking differences in a world some may not even consider. It is easy to forget that people dress according to different canons, whether that be practicality, conformity or diversity, for example. The fact that this exhibition thus draws us to the very existentiality of clothing and fashion, marks an incredibly successful accomplishment at shedding a light on this style of art and design form so as to elevate its position in the arts sphere.

Though I was unfortunately, unable to see this exhibition in person, I was captivated by the associated readings, catalogues and videos on the MoMA website, which I would highly recommend if you’re at all interested in design as a theoretical concept, fashion, or both. I may still be far from understanding the intricacies of design choices and popular fashion, but discovering this exhibition (albeit online) has filled me with delight. The internet really is amazing sometimes!